Tech Toolbox: Polling, Collaboration, and More

This list includes the digital tools available at The University of Alabama, plus a few free or low-cost options from around the web.

Collaboration

FlipgridFlipgrid is a video discussion tool, which displays topics and videos in a neat grid. You add the topics and students reply with short videos — pretty simple. Flipgrid can be embedded in Blackboard, and it is an interesting alternative to text-based discussion threads. Free accounts include a single grid with unlimited users, and paid plans offer unlimited users and grids.

Hypothes.isHypothes.is is a free annotation tool that allows you to comment on any blog, website, article, or document. You simply create an account and install the Chrome add on (or another browser bookmark), and you’re ready to annotate. You can create private groups for your classes and have them annotate documents within Blackboard Learn, or encourage students to use the tool as they read and prepare for class (not as a course requirement).

Padlet
Padlet is a virtual bulletin board, where students and teachers can share information in a secure location. Easily create bulletin boards for collaborative projects, or use it to gather course-related content (most file types supported). If you plan to use Padlet extensively, consider subscribing to one of their unlimited plans.

Storify
Storify is a digital curation tool where users can collect, arrange, and display information from around the web. Users can create timelines, presentations, research logs, and even informal writing assignments (think microblogging), and because it pairs well with Twitter, it can be used as a news or social media analysis tool.

VideoAntVideoAnt is a free video annotation tool that allows you to comment on any online video. Users can save their annotations, or “ants,” and manage them from the account dashboard, known as the “Ant Farm.” Annotations can be exported in a variety of data formats or embedded in Blackboard, and users can log in via their Google accounts (meaning students can use their Crimson email).

VoiceThread
VoiceThread is a cloud-based collaboration tool designed for sharing and discussing multimedia content. Comments can be in audio, video, or text form, making it a potential addition to discussion threads or collaborative assignments. VoiceThread is fully accessible and can be used within Blackboard.

File Sharing

Google DriveGoogle Drive is a free cloud storage service available to anyone with a Crimson Mail account. Users can create and share files within the Google ecosystem or save material from external sources.

UA BoxUA Box is a free, unlimited cloud storage service provided to UA students, faculty, and staff via Box.com. Users can share and edit files, and the robust permissions settings allow you to specify whether users are editors or viewers, making it ideal for the classroom. Box also saves your revisions, so your prior work is never lost.

Live Polling

Mentimeter
Mentimeter is an interactive presentation tool that allows you to poll students during your lectures. With the easy-to-use poll codes, students can answer questions directly from their smartphones — no installations or downloads required. Mentimeter pairs seamlessly with Office 365 products, and it works fairly well as a student response system. The free plan includes a maximum of two questions per presentation or five for the quiz question type. If you plan to use Mentimeter for graded quizzes or some other personal assignment, they offer paid plans with more privacy.

Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere allows you to poll students and collect responses in real time, either online or within your presentation slides. You simply pose a question using their iOS application, and students answer via SMS text or a web browser. They offer multiple question types, and results can appear in a variety of formats. Poll Everywhere is free for up to 40 responses per poll or $14 per student per year.

Photo and Video Editing

Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes Photoshop and Premiere Pro, is available to UA faculty, staff, and graduate assistants at no cost.